What do you mean riding season is over?

I just got Veronica back from a buddy who fixed up a small wiring issue and installed new lights for me. Between the new full face helmet and winter gloves I recently picked up, I should be good to go all winter long.

As for Veronica, Could I have done it myself?

Yup.

Did I have time to?

Nope… And since my buddy had been out of work, he could use the coin. So, two birds, one stone, and I could concentrate on other things.

Speaking of which, I rented a little cottage over in Mclemore Cove for a weekend writing retreat. I love this little place. It is so quiet and distraction-free, that you can concentrate and get some serious words down. And Kristin, the host is so awesome.

I even let Philip K. Booker tag along so he could get words down on his Fin novel.

If you’re an author in the Chattanooga area and you’d like to find a nice quiet place to get away from it all, check out the listing on Airbnb.

Around the House

Me and the Word Witch have also been trying to get out on the road as much as possible when it isn’t too chilly for her. An extra layer of thermals and I’ve been good lately. Like I mentioned earlier, if it’s getting down into the 30s, I’ll swap out to my full face helmet, full leather, and winter gloves.

The rides might be a few hours of tooling around the country roads at the back of the county, or If nothing else, just taking a scoot down to Lafayette to visit her mom.

We did find a very nice little ice cream / coffee shop that popped up beside the Mars Theater in Lafayette. If you’re out for a cruise in the area and feel like a treat, the Hometown Sip ‘n’ Scoop is well worth the stop.

And it isn’t hard to find.

Other than that, It’s Thanksgiving day, and I’m still harvesting hot peppers, plus the chicks we picked up in the spring have started to lay eggs.

They aren’t huge, but they’re an easy source of fresh protein. And as long as I keep the girls fed, they’ll keep giving us eggs. I have plans this summer to build a walkway tunnel out of wire mesh for them so they can venture out of the run and forage on more than just chicken feed.

And next weekend, we’ll be culling the flock of three excess roosters that we have, three from the mini farm we got our chicks from, and an older hen who hasn’t laid in awhile. I’m keeping the pretty boy in the pic above inspecting the nest with Honey Mustard and Teriyaki, and Pip,

The funny thing is these baby roosters are three times Pip’s size. But any time they try to crow, he spurs the shit out of them. Guess the old Banty Rooster can’t take the loud ass young cocks.

Poor pip is so small compared to the baby roosters.

And it’s that time of year again to start a few new brews so they have time to ferment and age before my next set of conventions.

Other than that, the newest addition to the barn kitty pack, (Sasparilla), seems to have become my kitty. She meets me in the shop after I get home from work, and any time I go out to the shop, she’s not too far behind me getting in the way of what I’m doing.

Just like the other day when I had to repair a few wires in Glittermonster’s trunk, Sassy had to be right there “helping”.

Reading/Listening

Here recently I’ve been plowing through Mooncrow by Jack Massa. Great little fantasy piece from back in the day that I happened to find at McKay’s Used Books in Chattanooga for a dime. It really is one of those diamonds in the rough.

The vast and angry airships of the Moldorn cover the skies like a war dark cloud, and in all post-glacial earth, only one keep remains free. It is here, in the far north Hall of the Adepts, that an army is being prepared to stop the hideous advance of the Empire of War–A one-man army. Mooncrow! Entertainer and healer, wizard and warrior, swordwielder, cardshark and spy!

And I recently started re-listening to the Destroyermen series by my buddy Taylor Anderson. Great alt-history / Historical fiction that keeps your sucked into the story.

Writing / Editing

I have been putting in as many words as I possibly can recently, hiding away like I mentioned above when ever the opportunity arises. Even hiding out in the shop to dictate a story and get words down. (ignore the messy work bench)

Besides wrapping up a short for the next Car Warriors anthology, where you’ll meet some new characters, mainly my good ol’ boys that I plan to work into a side series of Car Warriors novels; I’ve been working out the Outlines for my next two Car Warriors novels, Bloody Roads and Betrayed Roads.

Speaking of Car Warriors, I recently had a patch worked up for it and for the Widowmakers, my unit in the JTF-13 universe. I’ll have a few more worked up for Starflight, fLUX Runners, and the Three Ravens logo to go onto my Kutte.

Other than that, I’ve been working my way through the Three Ravens backlog, trying to get everything caught up as quickly as possible so I can focus on our primary series, and work on more of my stuff.

And for my Patreon supporters, you’re going to get a sneak peek at a little horror story that still needs a polish. I’ll most likely go back and add a little more story after the graveyard scene before the big fight at the end, but is still an enjoyable read.

Randomness of My Mind

For those of you who follow my little video series, here’s the latest in the series.

So until next time, keep your Heads Up and your Pens Sharp.

~WJR~